Welcome to my corner of the world! Glad you dropped by. Browse around and discover a collection of QSL cards from international broadcasters, old and new. Read an article or two about radios and the hobby of radio listening. Happy DXing!!!

Every last Sunday of the month the team of Shortwaveservice.com takes you on a journey into the world of radio. We tell stories and anecdotes about the medium, the technology and the people who are behind the broadcasts on the radio. Some of these stories are touching or curious - definitely they are all but passionate radio. We are interested in stories about large and well-known radio stations as well as on small stations or anything else that you can get on the radio dial. It is Radio - Menschen & Geschichten (Radio - People & Stories) never falling into jargon, since the mission is aimed inter alia at Radio Freaks and DXers, but also to all those who just enjoy the radio.

Radio - Menschen & Geschichten* via Radio 700 in Kall-Krekel was heard on 31 January 2016, their inaugural broadcast. Initially the last 15 minutes of their "live" transmission was caught at 09.15 till 10.00 UTC on 7.310 kHz. This was followed with a rebroadcast from 11.00 from 12.00 UTC on 6.005 kHz with a (SINPO) of 55545 -- strong, clear and audible conditions.

Christian Milling moderated this nostalgic German language broadcast. The programme profiled past radio personalities and programming of Radio Sweden, Polish Radio and Swiss Radio. It included old reports, contemporary music and correspondence from listeners who shared their memories.

Friday, January 29, 2016

After more than 30 years Italian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), the most famous free short wave radio from Italy, that was heard in most continents, has returned to the airwaves. IBC will broadcast again on Friday, 29 January 2016, on the frequency of 6.970 kHz from 12.00 UTC, and then possibly on 3.905 kHz.

Italian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC)* was indeed received on 29 January 2016. Station interval, frequent station IDs in English, German and Italian, pop music and DXing news was monitored from 12.00 till sign-off at 16.15 UTC on the short-wave frequency of 6.970 kHz, using the remote SDR receiver in Twente, The Netherlands. Unfortunately, it was too early in the day (in Europe) to receive their signal directly in Malaysia. Nevertheless, reception quality was mixed with moments of strong audio peaking above an otherwise noisy short-wave band.

At sign-on, IBC's signal was (SINPO) 25332 -- weak with severe atmospheric noise, yet audible. At 12.08 UTC signal improved sightly to 25442, breaking above the threshold of noise for clearer reception. At 12.20 UTC, signal dropped back down under the noise, but with very poor audio quality. At 12.31 UTC, signal was 35443 - atmospheric noise lessened and audio was much stronger. Later in the day, signal improved greatly.

HERE's an audio excerpt from their broadcast. I heartily recommend IBC. Their music selection as well as DXing news makes for enjoyable listening.

Reception report was emailed on the same day. QSL card arrived on 2 March 2016 and is for transmissions logged directly in Malaysia and remotely from the Netherlands (note dates and times).

Email:
ibc@europe.com

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/IBC-Italian-Broadcasting-Corporation-42794031466

*Logged using a remote SDR receiver linked to the University of Twente (The Netherlands) website and monitored in Malaysia

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Radio Globo in Sao Paulo, Brazil was heard 26 January 2016, on the frequency of 6.120 kHz. Between 20.20 to 21.00 UTC, a football match with commentary, then a selection of Brazilian songs, was observed in Portuguese. Reception was pretty decent with a SINPO of 34543 -- fair signal strength, clear and audible speech from 20.20 to 20.45 UTC. Signal gradually weakened and was not heard around 21:00 UTC due to interference from an adjacent station.

Radio Tirana, transmitting from Shijak, was logged on 26 January 2016. A German language program of news and Albanian folk music was observed on the shortwave frequency of 7.465 kHz, from 20.28 to 21.00 UTC. Their English language service followed at 21.00 UTC. Reception was absolutely dreadful. A weak and barely audible signal was detected between fading, rounding out a SINPO of 25321.

Reception report was submitted on 27 January 2015. QSL card arrived in the mail on 16 February 2016.

Photos of the Shijak, Albania, transmitter site for Radio Tirana, taken by manager Drita Cico in 2005.

Voice of Indonesia in Jakarata was received on 26 January 2016. Their English language service featured an hour of news, music and cultural reports about Indonesia from 19.00 till 20.00 UTC. Their German language service was heard prior to English, their their French language service at 20.00 UTC. Reception on 9.525 kHz was (SINPO) 54555. No surprise there, considering Indonesia and Malaysia are neighbouring countries. VOI is heard frequently, as are many RRI stations, in this region.

Reception report was emailed and submitted online to Voice of Indonesia, 27 January 2016. A computer-generated reply promptly acknowledged the report submitted online.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Radio National of Kampuchea in Phnom Penh was logged on 18 January 2016. Traditional Khmer music (?) with female announcer moderating, station ID, then national anthem was observed from 16.30 till 17.00 UTC. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 918 kHz was (SINPO) 55545 -- excellent reception except for minor fading. In fact, their signal has been exceptionally strong and clear, and has been heard very early in the evening, here in Malaysia.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Radio Bulgaria* via Radio 700 in Kall-Krekel (Germany) was logged on 17 January 2016. A German language broadcast of news and Bulgarian folk songs was heard from 15.30 till 15.55UTC (broadcast time 15.30 till 16.00 UTC). Reception on 6.005 kHz was (SINPO) 54554 -- excellent reception until 15.55 UTC when the Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran overpowered signal.

Reception report was emailed the following day to Radio Bulgaria.

Email:german@bnr.bg

*Logged using a remote SDR receiver linked to the University of Twente (The Netherlands) website and monitored in Malaysia

Saturday, January 16, 2016

WRMI in Okeechobee, Florida (USA) was logged on 16 January 2016. An episode of Wavescan was observed from 23.45 till 00.15 UTC. Reception on 9.955 kHz was (SINPO) 25332 -- poor to weak signal strength, noisy with faint audio. Transmission worsened after 00.05 UTC as grey-line disappeared. Reception of WRMI is consistently best from around 23.00 till 23.50 UTC. Signal is also detected around 12.00 UTC, but too weak to copy content; in previous years reception at this time was possible.

Reception report was emailed to WRMI and Wavescan on the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 11 August 2016.

Adventist World Radio via KSDA, transmitting from Agat, Guam, was logged on 16 January 2016. A half-hour broadcast of WaveScan was heard from 23.30 till 00.00 UTC.

This Wavescan report highlighted the shortwave stations in Guam prior to WWII, including Globe Wireless shortwave station and PanAM shortwave station, with frequent mention of Nimitz Hill. Ultimately these stations and other stations were destroyed leading up to the Japanese invasion of the island.

Jeff White of WRMI followed up with a report on the HFCC Conference recently held in Brisbane, Australia. He interviewed Calvin Carter of Continental Engineering. Discussion highlighted DRM test trials from AWR in Guam and Vatican Radio, DRM receivers and India's efforts to promote DRM. Topics also included presentations from Australian and French radio regulatory bodies. There was also mention of future SENTEC sponsorship for the next HFCC Conference in South Africa.

International Radio News rounded out the programme with reports about destruction of transmitters in India, temporary suspension of Djibouti radio broadcasts, AWR meeting hosted in San Antonio, TX and loss of a transmitter destined for an Irish Offshore station. A report about a special QSL card offered by AWR for their SW broadcasts from New Caledonia in the 1980s ended this episode of Wavescan. Music from "Maggie" in the Cooke Islands was heard while contact details for WaveScan were announced.

Reception on 15.320 kHz was (SINPO) 55545 -- excellent reception except for minor fading early in the transmission

Reception report was emailed to AWR on the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 1 MArch 2016. Verification from AWR-KSDA via Guam has been received many times before. What makes this QSL card interesting is that it was posted from Thailand. Note the postage stamp.

Radio Sana'a, a clandestine station operating purportedly in the Middle East (Jeddah?), was logged on 16 January 2016. Arabic music, some with a patriotic theme, was observed, along with Islamic reports on Shariah and current events in Yemen or Syria. This was heard 18.35 till 19.35 UTC. Reception on 11.860 kHz was (SINPO) 34433 - fair to good signal strength and clear audio, despite fading.

Friday, January 15, 2016

For over a month propagation in South East Asia has remained poor. Reception has been limited to regional broadcasters and only stronger signals from Africa, Europe and the Americas. On some days, next to nothing has been detected, especially above 25 metres. While conditions are pretty much unchanged, the window of opportunity for decent DXing did open today, between 09.00 till 10.00 UTC.

Many stations in the region, most notably China, the Korean peninsula and Pacific, were heard across the short-wave bands. Surprisingly even WHRI in Cypress Creek popped up on the 25 metre band; however, WRMI at the same time surfaced only as a faint carrier. Radio Nikkei and Myanmar Radio were noted on at least two frequencies. And the puny signals of Sound of Hope appeared virtually everywhere.

Hopefully propagation will improve in coming days. Meanwhile, wherever you may be, happy DXing in the new year!

Saturday, January 9, 2016

WWVH in Kauai, Hawaii was logged on 9 January 2016, operating on the short-wave frequency of 15 Mhz. This was quite a feat as BPM - National Time Service Center in Shangqui Lintong, People's Republic of China broadcasts on the same frequency and pretty much dominates it. Reception on 15 MHz was (SINPO) 12551 -- audible speech of female announcer presenting time on the minute in English along with times pips were heard mixing under BPM's stronger time pips, from 07.45 till 08.00 UTC.

Reception report was emailed to WWVH on 10 January 2016. Verification of WWVH was previously for reception on2.5, 5and 10 MHz. WWV in Fort Collins has been QSLed on 15, 20 and25 MHz. Quite naturally, this would be a nice addition. On 13 January 2016, Adela Mae P. Ochinang, NIST-WWVH Secretary, replied with confirmation stating: "Thank you for your reception report and your interest in WWVH. This is to notify you that a QSL card, Serial #23013 for your reception report will be mailed today. Aloha." QSL card arrived in the mail on 21 January 2016.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Radio Slovenia 1 / Radio Koper*, transmitting from Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia, was logged on 1 January 2016 (2 January 2016 CET). A Slovene language broadcast of Slovenian pop and progressive rock music and news with frequent station IDs was monitored from 23.40 till 00.15 UTC (00.40 till 01.15 CET). Reception on 549 kHz was (SINPO) 54534 -- excellent signal strength received in the Netherlands, despite occasional fading and co-frequency interference from an Algerian station. Otherwise, audio quality was good and content clear.

Reception report was emailed on 2 January 2016 and posted a few days later. On 6 January 2016, Andrej Savko, Managing Editor at Radio Slovenija/Radio Koper, confirmed report with an email. On 18 January, I resubmitted to Assistant Director General of Italian Programmes, Antonio Rocco, who confirmed the following day with an email, although the language stated on the letter was not Italian, but rather Slovene.Email:
radio.si@rtvslo.si

Address:
Radiotelevizija Slovenija
Kolodvorska 2
SI - 1550 Ljubljana
Republic of Slovenia*Logged using a remote SDR receiver linked to the University of Twente (The Netherlands) website and monitored in Malaysia

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

QSLs from Swedish DX Federation*and Radio Ukraine International*, both logged in November of last year, arrived in today's mail. Along with the QSLs, their envelopes featured postage stamps from their respective countries. RUI also included a colourful holiday greeting card. Thank you very much, SDXF and RUI!

*Logged using a remote SDR receiver linked to the University of Twente (The Netherlands) website and monitored in Malaysia

NHK World Radio Japan, using the facilities of Radio Myanmar in Yangoon, was heard on 5 January 2016. A Burmese language broadcast, featuring a radio drama and selection of Burmese music with frequent IDs for NHK World, was heard from 14.45 till 15.00 UTC. Reception on the medium-wave frequency of 576 kHz was (SINPO) 45454 -- good to excellent signal strength, clear and discernible speech, with only minor local QRN.

HERE and HERE are audio samples of the NHK World broadcast from Myanmar

Reception report was submitted on-line to NHK World Radio Japan on 6 January 2015. QSL card was received on 2 February 2016. I followed up with an email to Myanmar Radio in March 2016. They replied with an eQSL on 26 April 2016.

Monday, January 4, 2016

All India Radio Srinagar, in Jammu and Kashmir, was logged on 30 November 2015. A dominant carrier with faint peaks of audio was first observed on 26 November 2015, between 15.00 till 15.45 UTC. Ideal conditions for propagation on 30 November 2015 allowed me to detect music and Hindi or Kashmiri -- indecipherable, for the most part -- from 15.25 till 15.45 UTC.

Reception on 4.950 kHz was (SINPO) 25431 -- poor to weak signal, dominant carrier with peaks of faint audio during fade. Signal disappeared after 15.45 UTC. On previous days, signal reached Malaysia as early as 15.00 UTC. The period of reception here, I must stress, was only present between 15.00 till 15.45 UTC; signal simply did not propagate afterwards.

Reception report was emailed to Spectrum Management and AIR Srinagar on 31 November 2015. Report was also posted to Spectrum Management some days later. QSL card arrived in the mail on 5 January 2016.

Two QSL cards arrived in the mailbox, today. One from China Radio International (CRI) and another from All India Radio (AIR). What makes these verifications special is their uniqueness. The CRI card is from their Japanese Service and it is written in Japanese and Chinese. All India Radio verified their transmitter site in Srinagar. It's rather uncanny that both cards should depict houses of worship: the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, Xinjiang and the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently announced the release of their Year of the Monkey QSL. The Year of the Monkey begins 8 February 2016 and ends 27 January 2017. The design is used with permission from the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA). The sheet is made of ten USD$1.20 stamps with the UN emblem as a standard international first class postage stamp.

Those born in a monkey year are said to be optimistic, adventurous, humorous, forthright and to-the-point, and intelligent. Monkeys have strong personalities and are witty, but also mischievous, clever and curious about the world around them. The Chinese New Year is celebrated in many countries around the world.

This is RFA’s 60th QSL and will be used to confirm all valid RFA reception reports from January-April 2016.

Radio Free Asia via Tinian Island was received on 4 January 2016. News reports about Korea and the region in Korean was monitored from 15.00 till 15.30 UTC (broadcast time 15:00 till 17:00 UTC). Reception on 7.210 kHz was (SINPO) 43443 -- good signal strength at sign-on and first 15 minutes of broadcast, despite co-frequency QRM from presumably Voice of Vietnam. Later into the broadcast, audio from both stations were mixing at approximately the same level, making it difficult to comprehend content.

Reception report was emailed on same day. QSL card was received on 29 January 2016.

Voice of Turkey, transmitting from Emirler, was received on 4 January 2016. Cultural programmes and music about Turkey was monitored from 13.40 till 14.23 UTC (broadcast time to Europe 13.30 till 14.23 UTC). Reception on 12.035 kHz was (SINPO) 24432 -- weak to fair signal with fading, yet occasionally audible with clear speech. Transmitter temporary closed at 13.55 UTC for less than a minute. After 14.15 UTC, reception improved to 34433. Overall, reception in South East Asia was decent, considering transmission targeted Europe.

Radio 700*, transmitting from Kall-Krekel (Germany), was logged on 3 January 2016. A historical documentary, discussing the music and recordings made from 1910 till 1915, was heard from 17.00 till 17.30 UTC (18.00 till 18.30 CET). Strong, clear and audible conditions were observed on 3.985 kHz.

Apparently this will be a weekly Sunday programme, highlighting the recordings of music in the 20th century. The programme is narrated in German, but this should not deter you from enjoying a selection of rare recordings.

CURRENT TIMES AND FREQUENCIES:11.00 UTC on 6.005 kHz15.00 UTC on 7.310 kHz17.00 UTC on 3.985 kHz